Ferrari Surprises in Monaco Practice as Three-Way Title Fight Emerges
Charles Leclerc impressed in practice at the Monaco Grand Prix, leading both sessions and finishing first on his home track. Monégasque’s fast lap times show Ferrari is stronger than expected on the tough street course. While Ferrari mentioned they would be challenged in the tight parts of the track before the weekend, they were very quick through Monaco. His teammate Lewis Hamilton ran at almost the same pace, which suggests Ferrari has gotten back to their form after some recent difficulties.
The Italian team appears to have made the most of their aggressive setup to win pole instead of focusing on finishing races at the front. What Leclerc did well at Monaco in 2021 is a strategy the team is copying this time. Lap times for McLaren were competitive all through practice, matching Ferrari at the front of the pack. Red Bull struggled as Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda finished the second practice in tenth and eleventh position.Verstappen said the team’s changes in setup during the race made it hard for the reigning champion to fight for position in the corners. Yet, Max Verstappen remains sure he can lift his performance to challenge for pole in qualifying on Saturday. The Racing Bulls were especially pleased with Liam Lawson finishing fifth as his best Friday result of the year. Perez beat his Red Bull teammate Hadjar in their inaugural sessions at the Monaco despite having no driving experience there.
Read Also: RCB Brings in Tim Seifert to Replace Departing Jacob Bethell
